Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Intro: I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read 1 and 2 Timothy

Still, it was only a few years ago that two words snagged me
– here in this passage, Paul refers to the Hebrew Scriptures as “the sacred writings”
• I had always believed this regarding the Bible, but never in those precise words
• the effect they had was to motivate me to meditate on them
◦ eventually, I spent nine weeks sharing with you what I learned
– I’ve decided to tell you what these have done worked in my life since then
• what I hope, is to inspire your reading of the sacred writings
◦ and enhance your experience with God’s word in the new year

Through contemplative prayer, I have experienced remarkable relief from clinical depression

But one fragment of it still remains
– every morning I wake up in a dark mood
• as I get dressed, feed the cats, and prepare something to eat
◦ my thoughts are intensely gloomy – even desperate
◦ I want to escape–everything; especially responsibility
• then I take my protein drink to our room and sit in my chair
◦ I do some warm-up reading, then grab my Bible and open it
◦ the next moment is the most important

I’m going to pause my story here to provide a backstory

In Exodus, God lays out instructions for a daily offering
– the same offering is made both in the morning and evening
• once, when talking with Fr. Romuald about liturgical worship at the hermitage,
◦ I mentioned how I enjoyed lauds in the morning and vespers in the evening
◦ he then referred to them as “the cosmic hinges of the day”
day and night swing on those pivotal moments
• “morning” is neither day nor night–it is in between the two
◦ the same with evening – both of them are thresholds
◦ Israel was to pause in the thresholds and remember God
(Do you remember – God’s words written on their doorposts and gates?)
– but that isn’t all – God had further instructions:
• the daily morning and evening offerings were to be made
“at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there” (Deut. 29:42)
◦ the “entrance” was another threshold
• God designated thresholds as spaces for encounter – to meet with and speak to his people

So, now back to my story

With my Bible open on my lap, I am located in the threshold – the sacred liminal space
– I haven’t “entered” the scriptures yet, but I’m about to begin
• slowly inhaling, I silently say, “here” – and exhaling I say “now”
◦ if a thought lingers in my mind, I stop thinking it and look at it, then let it pass
◦ I am sitting in a state of awareness
▫ I scan my body to see if any part is calling attention to itself
▫ if so, I hold it in awareness
• my goal is to bring my awareness to God’s presence in the here and now of this moment
◦ I allow myself to hear God say,
“Here I will meet with you and speak to you” as of standing at the entrance to the sacred tent
(only, I am at the entrance to the “sacred writings”
◦ THIS ISTHE MOMENT IN MY MORNING WHEN MY MOOD BEGINS TO TURN
– cultural anthropologists have a term for what happens when a community, village, or subculture converts to Christianity
• typically, conversion includes upgrades in integrity, responsibility, and simplicity
◦ this results in cultural improvements in their standard of living
◦ they experience upward social mobility as well as spiritual development
• the term sociologists use for this improvement in physical well being is “redemptive lift”
◦ every morning I experience a “redemptive lift” in my mood as well as my spirit
◦ that’s because God speaks to me every morning

I wouldn’t say that what I receive is always profound
– or that it is worth sharing with anyone else
• but it is always what I need – my morning therapy
◦ and it always brings me out of the pit
• and, then again, many times, it is worth sharing with someone else
◦ it becomes spiritual counsel that I share with others
– the poet who wrote Psalm 73 experienced something like this
• he tells a story of having a really bad day
“. . . my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped
For I was envious ot the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Ps. 73:2-3)
◦ he goes on to describe an romanticized view of a sinful life
◦ through cheating and conniving the wicked enjoy good health and wealth (or so he assumed)
• he continues in the vein for more than half the psalm
◦ when he is finally overwhelmed with negativity,
◦ he winds down, and says, in effect,
“This was my outlook
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end” (v. 16)
• in God’s presence, his mind cleared and his vision improved
◦ by the end of his poem he is able to say,
“But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works” (v. 28)
• that is my daily routine in the morning: unhappy “until” I hear what the Lord has to say to me
◦ we might think of it as an “attitude adjustment”
◦ but it is much more – and it is God who does this for me

The entire Bible is our “sacred writings”

That doesn’t mean that everything in is of equal value to us
– at different times in our journey,
• some parts will speak to us with more relevance than others
◦ some parts may never win our interest at all
◦ but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing in all the sacred writings for us
• if you find yourself bored with a certain place in the Bible,
◦ don’t push yourself through it, as if you have some spiritual obligation to finish it
– and read a version of the Bible that you can understand
• the Message Bible is popular – and I still like The Good News Bible

But listen: I don’t want you to read Bible because that’s what Christians do
– if we consider all the centuries of Christian history,
• the majority of Christians never had a Bible and many could not read
◦ this is not the only way God speaks to us
◦ many people read meditations of godly men and women, that are drawn from the Scriptures
• but do ask advice from people who know the Bible well

Bring to the Bible whatever you have in the moment

I sometimes come to it with questions
– some are serious, as for others I’m simply curious
• then other times, questions come up as I’m reading
◦ then it is like having a conversation with God
• frequently, I come to a mystery that I cannot unlock
◦ perhaps a little bit of light may shine on a verse or perhaps a lot of light
◦ but I’m okay if some things remain a mystery
I trust God to take me as far as it is pleasing to him
If there’s anything I must know, he will reveal it
– when I open my Bible, God has his own intention for me
• that is more important than whatever I want to receive from it
◦ so I believe there are words he wants me to notice
◦ often it is something that confuses or upsets me – so I pay closer attention
• feelings also rise and fall as I read, which is at times pleasant, but not always
◦ our feelings are one of the ways we experience scripture

Conclusion: I want to leave you with a few thoughts regarding
how to listen for God’s voice

Keep in mind, the Bible is the candle and the Holy Spirit is the flame
– we need both to see by its light

First, when you read, don’t “preach” – at yourself or anyone else
Too many people read as if they’re supposed to come up with a sermon
(or an exhortation or rebuke)
We must be careful not to moralize everything we read

Second, ignore feelings of failure, blame, or condemnation
Those emotions do not build us up, or encourage, or strengthen us
If you realize you have done wrong, be grateful
You are receiving helpful correction and discipline
Your Father is showing you the right way to do things
He is not trying to discourage you!
He is pouring his love into you and drawing you closer to himself

Third, listen for his mercy, his support, his reassurance
God will affirm his love to you every day – if you listen

I’m not urging you to make any New Year’s resolution
I’m encouraging you to check your mail box every day
There may be a love letter in it waiting for you

Podcasts

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Gladness we have
Sometimes.
And we thank you for that.
Happiness we find
From time to time
In this world
When circumstances please us
When expectations are met
When plans work out
And our gratitude rises up
And bubbles over
When we are paying attention

But joy is your gift
Your fruit in our lives
Nourished in us
With your abiding presence.
Transforming us
No longer focused on
and rehearsing
our disappointments
Or fears
Or resentments
But fully alive
To your good great love
Celebrating
Your coming
Your coming again
And with you now
moment by moment
Emmanuel
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10

Intro: So here we are again, with the angels and the shepherds

I chose to read only these three verses, because the story is so well known
– but when we circle back to it every year at this time,
• we run the risk of treating it as if it only exists for this season
◦ like the tree, and the lights, and the nativity scene with its little figures
◦ the heavenly choir shows up every year for their Christmas cantata
• they announce the arrival of Jesus, and with him, joy and peace
◦ the theme for the third Sunday of Advent is joy
– who am I to talk about returning to this theme only one day a year?
• how often do my Sunday morning talks return to joy?
◦ we weren’t hearing much joy in Hosea!
• if anyone needs to be reminded of joy all year round, I’m that guy

For my own sake, I decided to explore JOY

What I first realized, is that I don’t have a category for it
– to say joy is a feeling or an emotion seemed too shallow
• C. S. Lewis wrote an entire book on this subject entitled, Surprised By Joy
◦ “surprised,” because joy came to him without warning and from unexpected sources
• he describes three extraordinary experiences of joy and then writes,
“I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and from Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again.”
– someone who knows more joy and happiness than I, could probably give a better explanation of the difference between the two
• but it seems that joy occurs naturally and happiness occurs artificially
◦ for instance, laughing at a joke is somewhat artificial (or contrived), because the joke was meant to evoke laughter
• I think also there’s a difference between the laugher of happiness and the laughter of joy (Psa. 126:1-2)
◦ we don’t have do anything to produce joy (Lewis said, “Joy is never in our power”)
◦ it’s more like we have to remove obstacles to let joy in
(obstacles like fear, self-consciousness, and ambitions–for money, power, popularity)

What I finally decided regard Joy is that it is a rare, “sublime” experience
– sublime is what we could call a “threshold experience”
• “subliminal” refers to activity that occurs below the threshold of consciousness
◦ sublime moments bring us all the way to the threshold,
◦ as high as it is possible to go in this life
• sublime is an unexplainable overwhelming sense of awe, wonder, bliss
– joy is sublime – it’s is a state beyond words or concepts

What sort of experiences bring us to sublime states of joy?

I can think of five:

1. Relationships – other people are a source of joy
   • observing infants or toddlers, intimacy with a lover, the closeness of a friend or pet,
   • even a place or moment that brings back the experience of a memory
   • we also share our joy with others – Jesus’ parable of the shepherd and the lost sheep
     “when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me . . . .’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance’” (Lk. 15:5-7)
2. Beauty – in nature (a single tree in the forest, a single flower in garden or field)
   • in the arts (painting, poetry, music)
   • for some people, philosophy and the sciences (there are not just a few mystics among physicists)
3. Grandeur – the sky stretching out into the universe
   • mountains, oceans, deserts (as we see in Arizona Highways magazines)
4. Completeness or wholeness – a full stomach, enough warmth
   • a finished project, and the realization that nothing else is needed
5. Communion with God – belonging to him, being filled with his spirit
   • any time we have a strong sense of God’s nearness
     “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn. 15:11)
     “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Pet. 1:8)
     “You make known to me the path of life;
     in your presence there is fullness of joy . . .” (Ps. 16:11)

Is it possible that in the “pursuit of happiness,”
– what we’re really hoping for is to experience joy?
• maybe we settle for less; for pleasure or happiness,
◦ because we can manufacture those experiences
◦ and they’re close by and provide instant gratification
▫ no working or waiting is required, and certainly no maturity is necessary
• we may choose to flood our brains with a surplus of neurochemicals
◦ and for a brief duration we get the thrill, the buzz, the hit
◦ but we don’t reach the sublime, nor do we relish the memory
– joy leaves a pleasant aroma

I have come across joy over the years of reading the Scriptures

So I’ll share with you a few impressions I felt regarding joy

From the prophet Habakkuk:
“Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:17-18)
My meditation: Wow! Not, “I will still trust you,” but “I will rejoice in You.” Terrible things will happen; unexpected things like financial setbacks, illnesses, or the death of someone we love. I am learning that I can trust God regardless of what happens, but to rejoice in him, no matter what? That is a new level of trust.
And yet—regardless of what is given to us or taken from us, there is always the joy that comes from living in God, the joy of his very being, joy from revelations received, and the joy of his love and faithfulness.

From Psalm 89 — the first half is about God’s goodness and faithfulness, but then:
“How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?” (Ps. 89:47-48)
My meditation: First, a history of God watching over Israel, but now, sad echoes of the previous psalm. The temporal limits of one’s own life crashes into the eternity of God’s promise as it unfolds through the long expanse of time. I doubt that we are given an answer to our question, “How long?” Or maybe we’re only reassured, “Don’t worry, this current state will not last forever.”
We want relief now. The fulfillment of promises now. The restoration of all that is good now. But sometimes to survive without losing hope, and perhaps by hanging on to a song of joy in our hearts, we have to fix our eyes on the future, the eternal, and on our God who holds all of space and time in his hands. We may not see it in our lifetime, but it will come—and we’ll be there

From the Book of Job:
“[Where were you . . .]
when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7)
My meditation: There is a primeval joy of creation that, as I perceive it, began when God said, “Let there be light” and was diffused into and through all that exists. This is the original joy. The divine joy that vibrated in all things because all things were “good.”
God alone has this memory of the first canticle, the first vocalization of the infant universe; not a cry but a shout of joy.

From the Gospel of John:
“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” And, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (Jn. 16:16;22)
My meditation: I wonder how much of my “sadness,” my depression, stems from not seeing Jesus now. I can imagine the joy I would have if he were to reveal himself to me—in this world. I know that the kingdom of God is “joy in the Holy Spirit” (Ro. 14:17), but that has been elusive for me—I accept the blame for that. Still, an invisible, intangible, and often entirely silent Spirit is not the same as having, in the flesh, the Word that became flesh. I know, I know, “more blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed,” but oftentimes I would be pleased to settle for the lesser blessing. (Please forgive me, Lord Jesus, for saying this. I am blind and foolish, and I really, really miss You. I have a great deal of the sorrow, and very little of the joy.)
Having a bad day? You don’t have to “shout for joy” when faced with setbacks and hardships (there are other prayers for those problems). But you can always “shout for joy In the LORD.” Or at least, whisper for joy, or even weep with joy. Whatever your current state, it will not last forever.

Conclusion: Here’s the best I have to offer you: Choose joy!

Nurture the joys that come to you – take a moment with them, quietly give thanks for them
The more you celebrate joy, the more joy you will discover
As for my last word on joy, and this is personal, and it applies to you:
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 Jn. 4)

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
In a world of sadness and strife
It is sometimes hard to imagine
A universe of peace and goodwill

Caught up in our fears and struggles
We fight to get what’s coming to us
but you came to break that way of living
So today we ask for peace
In our own hearts
So we might bring peace to others
No longer rehearsing our resentments
No longer nourishing bitterness and fears
But being peace
And bringing peace
And living peace
Becoming peacemakers
With our kindness
And gentleness
And patience
And sacrifice
As needed
When needed
Because of you
And the peace
The wholeness
The shalom
You have brought to us.
Amen

Morning Talk: Esther Dewitt

The Liturgical Calendar
The Liturgical Calendar is a sequence of seasons, that organizes the year around the life of Jesus.
Liturgical seasons Invite us to take our place in the great drama of the Gospel
To take the time to experience God’s love and redemption through Spiritual rhythms and traditions
shared across generations and cultures and faith communities.
Practicing the liturgical calendar allows a lot of room for variety of expression,
and differences between church traditions,
but its beauty is to help Christians of diverse backgrounds participate–collectively and individually
in observances, prayers and Scriptures that focus on the life and message of Jesus Christ.
Advent is the first of the seasons; it is the beginning of Church Calendar year.
It’s interesting to me that the beginning of the liturgical year comes as the end of our calendar year,
and that its traditions and vibe are so different than the Western New Year.
The beginning of January looks forward and is filled with resolutions, plans, goals and energy.
It’s new exercise routines and new diets, at least for a few weeks.
It screams – Don’t look back, yesterday is done, stay future focused for success.

Advent is different

It isn’t linear in time.
Advent looks back in wonder, looks forward in anticipation
and opens us up to experience Christ in our present moment.
Advent means the arrival, or the coming. Advent is sort of the prelude to the ministry of Jesus.
It’s a bridge, a liminal in-between space. It prepares us for the coming of Christ.
As Tish Harrison Warren describes it “Advent collapses time. The past, the present and future join together in a single season of waiting for Immanuel, God With Us.”
Advent invites us beyond our time-bound experience and into the fuller history of the people of God.
In Advent we join the story with the Ancient Jews as they wait and long for the Messiah prophesied.
We reflect not only on the incarnation, on His birth,
but on how Jesus continues to work in the world today, and we look forward to His return.
As the early church crafted the season of Advent, knowing that Christmas has its own season – coming quickly – Advents sets the birth of Jesus into a historical and prophetic context.
Throughout the four weeks of the season, not just on the four Sundays,
believers are invited to reflect on the story–from the prophesies of the Messiah to John the Baptist
announcing the start of the public ministry of Jesus.

Today begins the second week of Advent
The theme of the second week is Peace.
It doesn’t leave the theme of the first week Hope behind; it builds on it.
Some of you have a lot more experience and history with liturgical practice.
For some of us they are new or foreign.
This Sunday I would like to incorporate a few of the traditions.
Many faith communities incorporate a collective prayer–called a Collect–to gather the intentions of the community into a single prayer.
I’ve chosen one from the Contemporary Collects.
Please join me in this reading Collect out loud together.

Second Sunday of Advent
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to
preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:
Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins,
that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our
Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

The practice of Advent doesn’t fit very well with my own church cultural training and experiences.
My biblical upbringing was verse-by-verse and chapter by chapter. Advent jumps back and forth.
Forgive me if it feels a little disjointed to you as well – but it has a purpose.
It sets the stage – paints a backdrop for reflecting on the life of Jesus.
Advent denies us permission to be New Testament only Christians as it draws us into a larger context.

The first reading of the second week of Advent is one of the great Messianic prophies of Scripture, from Isaiah 11 verses 1-10
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

This prophecy is beautiful, poetic, and bewildering.
It’s a prophesy, not just of the first coming of Christ, but of the second coming of Christ as well.
It’s bewildering to me now, probably more than any other time in my walk with the Lord.
It paints a picture of a peace we don’t yet see or experience.
Where justice is practiced, the needy and poor cared for.
It promises a future we have very little context for at our current point in time.
The liturgical seasons are relatively New to me – my Christian upbringing is a combination of what Sara Bessey calls a “Happy Clappy” Evangelical practice with a fundamentalist legalistic approach to the Christian life.
From my family of origin, my church culture and my Baptist college I was formed to place a heavy emphasis on theology and doctrine, and on correct interpretations and practices.
Understanding, interpretation, getting things right has always been very important to me.
I’m a product of the information age, the digital age.
I generally don’t know what to do with things I can’t wrap my head around.
One of the great gifts that the practice of Advent offers is the space to reflect, to wonder, to be confused, and not have that shake us.
I need that space as I prepare myself to enter into the Christmas season.
In Luke 2 :4-14 We read an account of the birth of Jesus
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

As I mentioned before: The theme of the second week of Advent is Peace.
Historians place the time of the birth of Jesus as during the time of Pax Romana. The Peace of Rome.
But it surely didn’t feel like peace for everyone.
Joseph and Mary have to travel to Bethlehem to register for taxes.
Herod is a murderous leader looking to kill anyone who threatens his power.
The religious leaders have added so many rules and regulations to the lives of the people of God that they are burdened.
There are poor and marginalized people whose suffering is acknowledged in the pages of the Gospel.

It’s not the peace we expect

When the Angels are declaring Peace on Earth, we can find ourselves wondering with the shepherds, and all who heard the story “What peace”? What does that mean. What does “Peace on Earth to those Whom God is Pleased” mean?
Isaiah refers to the coming Messiah as the Prince of Peace. The arrival of Jesus is the arrival of Peace. Through Jesus we can be reconciled to God, and at peace with Him.
And Jesus calls us to be Peacemakers, here on earth, in our time and our communities, through our acts of love and forgiveness, justice and mercy, we can be a part of Peace on Earth.
But it can be confusing.
Conflict in the world still exists.
Conflict between Believers exists.
Right now, it feels, based on my own work and experience, that conflict is thriving.
About twenty years ago I was the host of a Christian radio show. I loved the job for a lot of reasons, but one was that I got to do some really fun interviews.
Personally, I was in a lot of turmoil towards the end of that season and did not know I was approaching the end of it.
I was really struggling – beginning what now is often called “deconstruction.”
The certainty and structure that I had always taken for granted and had been very comfortable with, was crumbling.
One of the last few interviews I recorded was with Chuck.
In that interview he said two things that have stuck with me through the years, and which have been touchstones that I come back to over and over again in the last two decades.
He said, “God is not limited by our interpretation of Scripture.”
It was profound for me at the time, and it is still profound to me.
It is profound as I contemplate the birth of Jesus, and the prophesies from Isaiah 11.
The parents of John the Baptist, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Joseph and Mary would have been very familiar with these prophesies, and they must have been confused by their own experiences.
From the Scriptures it is clear that Mary often did not know how to process what she was hearing and experiencing.
They are honest that she wondered, pondered, marveled, was troubled, and treasured what she saw and heard.
The Message Bible phrases it that Mary held these things dearly and deeply within herself.
I can identify with Mary in Luke 1, when she is troubled and wonders at the words of Gabriel when she hears she will be the mother of the fulfillment of the prophecy.
I can identify with Mary when in Luke 2, she ponders the experience and words of the shepherds.
I can identify with her and Joseph when they marvel at the blessing and prophecy spoken by Simeon over the new baby they were presenting to the Lord.
And again, I can identify with her, twelve years later, when she treasures Jesus’ undoubtedly confusing words in her heart.

Many of the Ancient Rabbi’s interpreted the prophecies to be promising a very different kind of Messiah than Jesus.
For around four centuries they had come up with interpretations.
But that did not place a limitation on God, and the way He intended to fulfill His promises.
God is also not limited by my understanding of the Scriptures or what He is doing.
While I do think there is a lot of value in gaining understanding, in what 2 Tim. 2:15 calls “rightly dividing the Word of Truth,” I need the humility to know that I will not get it all correct.
I want the humility to wonder, to ponder, to marvel, to sometimes be troubled and sometimes be amazed; and to form the habit of holding the things of God dearly and deeply within myself, even when there are things I don’t get – even when circumstances around me don’t make sense.
Advent takes the time and makes the space to sit with the paradoxes of our faith.
As Kathleen Norris expresses the “Advent Season breaks into our lives with images of light and dark, first and last things, watchfulness and longing, origin and destiny.”

I started the calendar year 2025 troubled

It felt like a heavy season.
For the most part, in general, me and mine were doing okay – all things considered.
But a lot of people were struggling.
People we know, and people we don’t know were going through difficult times, and from what we could see on the horizon, the storm was growing.
I personally don’t usually have a Bible verse of the year.
(That feels like a confession.)
It has not been my normal experience that God would give me a verse or word for the year as a theme.
I know lots of people who do, but It’s just not been my own experience.
But last January I found myself crying out to the Lord, asking what I can I do in the middle of all that is going on.
At different times in my life, I have found myself in positions where I felt like my work, my ministry, could make a difference, on at least a moderate scale, that gave me a sense of purpose when the world seemed chaotic.
This year, I didn’t have that.
I found myself in the book of Micah, the picture it paints is not good.
Everything is a mess; politically and culturally it’s bad.
The leaders and the prophets have completely lost the plot.
It’s bad.
And then, tucked in chapter 6, verse 8, the people are reminded that God has already told them what He wants them to do.

“He has shown you – O People- what is good,
and what the Lord requires of you.
To Act Justly, and to love Mercy,
and walk humbly with your God.

It became my guiding verse for the year.
As I have been confronted by a very challenging year, on a lot of fronts, when I am trying to figure out how to walk forward, what to do – I am reminded
“He has shown you – O People- what is good,
and what the Lord requires of you.
To Act Justly, and to love Mercy,
and walk humbly with your God.
It’s a verse I’ve marinated in. I even made a playlist of different versions of this verse in songs.
I needed it.
Our world is messed up – and the world we step into in Advent, the part of the story where we begin the liturgical year, just prior to the birth of a Savior, that world is messed up.
The world being messed up is one of the through-lines of the story.
It’s why we need a Messiah, a Savior.

As we reflect on what the world was like at the birth of Jesus and in the years leading up to the start of His ministry we don’t see a world that feels like it is at peace as far as the people of God are concerned.
King Herod is a dangerous and violent leader.
Pontious Pilate is the governor of Judea.
History records that as a ruler he provoked and persecuted his subjects, especially the Jews and Samaritans.
John the Baptist spends his ministry time calling people away from their sins.
It wasn’t an easy time to be alive, or to follow to God.
But in this part of the story, the prelude to the ministry of Jesus, we see some examples of people who are not swallowed by the chaos and messiness around them, who choose to live as God has shown them.
In Luke 1:5 -7 when we meet John the Baptist’s parents, Zachariah and Elizabeth we are told they live together honorably before God.
The International Children’s Bible translation says “Zechariah and Elizabeth truly did what God said was good.”
what is good
In Matthew 1:19, when we first meet Joseph, we are told he is a just man, and a man of mercy.
do justly, love mercy
Our introduction to Mary in Luke chapter 1 gives us the picture of a young woman willing to do what God asks her.
walk humbly with your God
We see glimpses of faithfulness in a culture where that isn’t easy.
We see a desire, by at least some, that matches ours, to live well.
In Luke 3, as John the Baptist preaches, calling people to reject hypocrisy, and to produce good fruit in their lives, people ask the same question, I often find myself asking:
Then what should we do?
His answer:
Share with those in need,
Be honest,
Don’t take advantage of people
This feels to me like a paraphrase, an echo of Micah 6:8 – act justly, show mercy, and walk humbly with your God.
In these stories we see examples of people aligning themselves with God’s story, and we see some practical ways that we can do that.

This is a part of the gift of the season of Advent

We aren’t asked to fit the story of Jesus in to our lives, we are invited to fit our lives into His story.
We can acknowledge that the world we live in is troubled and that hope and peace can be difficult to experience.
We don’t have to manufacture peace on earth, we look for the ways it has come through Jesus, we look forward to the ways He will bring peace when He returns and we can look for ways we can be a part of His work now.
So back in the radio interview I did with Chuck, twenty years ago, the second thing he said was “I want my life and legacy and ministry to be marked by Mercy, that is the impact I want to have on people’s lives.”
It struck me because there wasn’t a lot of talk about being merciful, engaging in acts of mercy in the church community I was a part of.
We talked a lot about God’s Grace, and we talked about God’s Mercy on us, but very rarely was there an emphasis on being known for mercy.
Mercy is showing kindness and compassion to others.
It’s extending forgiveness when we aren’t obligated to.
It requires a heart of generosity towards others.
Showing mercy in our personal lives is a way we walk out our faith, we follow through on what God has told us to do, it’s a way that we participate in God’s work here on earth.
Advent doesn’t require us to be Scrooges, or anti- Western Christmas tradition.
We can still enjoy our Christmas cookies, Christmas music and decorations without being in conflict with Advent.
There is room for celebrations with family and friends, even as there is room for contemplation.
Through it all, there is the opportunity to participate, to as much as in our power, bring peace and mercy to those around us.
I appreciate that Advent teaches us to look back, lean forward, and to be present but does not require us to have it all figured out.
There is mystery, and wonder.
In Advent we are starting the year organizing our life around Jesus.
Advent invites into a story we know, to look at it from different angles and different perspectives.
It begins the liturgical year preparing us for Christmas, Epiphany, lent, Easter, and Pentecost.

I’d like to end this morning with an Advent Prayer by Henri Nouwen
Would you join me in reading it out loud together?
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness,
send your Holy Spirit upon our preparation for Christmas.

We who have so much to do
seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.

We who are anxious over many things
look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for
the complete joy of your Kingdom.

We whose hearts are heavy
seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people,
walking in darkness yet seeking the light.

To you we say
“Come, Lord Jesus.”
Amen.

This morning, I would like to leave you with a blessing from the book of Numbers:
(6:24-26)
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you.
May He be gracious to you,
Show you His favor, and give you His Peace
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Amen